


Valentine's Day//White Day

by Katie_Madison



Series: The Uchiha Brothers [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Brotherly Affection, F/M, Fluff, Humour, Itachi Acting Consistently With His Feelings, Itachi Influences Sasuke To Be Humble, Itachi Questions Konoha, Itachi is Human, M/M, Or Maybe More, POV Uchiha Itachi, Pre-Canon, Uchiha Itachi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-04-12 11:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19130998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katie_Madison/pseuds/Katie_Madison
Summary: The girls in Sasuke's class decide that the best way to their beloved idol's heart is through his friendlier older brother, Uchiha Itachi!However... the way the girls talk about Sasuke - (daresay, even objectify him) - leaves Itachi in a contemplative mood. And when he goes home, he reflects on the way that he himself loves his brother...And what he's going to do about it.





	Valentine's Day//White Day

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be light, fluffy and sweet, but also feature a degree of introspection on Itachi's part that lies more in consistency with the way he articulated himself when revived, though he is still only thirteen here. Please allow yourself that creative suspension herein ~
> 
> As well, I would recommend reading Long Hair before this piece, but it isn't necessary! I have just slightly developed how certain side characters (like Ino and Shikamaru) are represented.
> 
> Please enjoy!

It had all started the winter after Sasuke first enrolled in the academy.

With blushing cheeks, trembling fingers clutching their skirts, and the name ‘Sasuke-kun’ on their bitten lips; young girls around his brother’s age started to circle around Itachi whenever he went out in public.

At first, the young teenager tried to keep these developments a secret from Sasuke (since his otouto was already prone to complaining about how creepy girls were), and endeavoured to keep an ultra-low profile instead; so as to avoid the children.

After all… They would surely give up soon, right? Itachi was excellent at concealing his presence (stemming from when he himself had had admirers during his academy days, and improved even more now that he was an elite ninja), and that had to have been frustrating. As it was, on more than one occassion, the prodigious teenager was forced to stifle his laughter after various girls circled around where Itachi had just been, completely baffled as to where the older boy could have disappeared to so quickly.

‘Oh my,’ wondered Itachi after one such occurrence, as a girl in a pink dress grew watery-eyed with disappointment at losing her chance to talk to Itachi about Sasuke, ‘Whatever this is about, my brother definitely won’t be happy to hear this…’

Still, as January approached its close, the number of Itachi's tiny female pursuants had grown to truly ridiculous levels. Every day now, there were at least several dozen little academy chibis searching up and down for Itachi; and many of them had been following him since mid-December, meaning that they had been trailing him for over a month now – about as long as a strenuous chuunin mission.

Itachi couldn’t help but be a little impressed. 

And perhaps… maybe even a little sympathetic? 

It was clear that these girls were very dedicated fans of ‘Sasuke-kun;' and as the  _most_ dedicated Sasuke fan, Itachi could relate to their desire to get to know his younger brother.

At long last, Itachi Uchiha simply stood out in the open of a training field after the academy let out after classes, an amused smile tugging on his lips, and declared, “Alright, everyone… You’ve got me! What can I help you with?”

At first, there was baited breathe as the children panicked at being found out by th, talented ninja. 

However, upon processing his words, little girls began to pop out from behind the trees and bushes around Itachi; the braver ones even slowly ambling forward towards him.

After a few tense minutes, Itachi felt like some kind of cult leader with a congregation of young female followers. (He loathed to think about how Shisui would laugh at him about this when his cousin inevitably heard of Itachi’s… current predicament.)

“What I want to know,” one of the girls said in a  cutely nervous voice,  her pink hair tied up into a pretty red velvet ribbon, “Is what Sasuke-kun would like for Valentine’s Day… Because I like him, and want him to like me, and my gift!... I want to be his! I'm even growing my hair because he likes long-haired girls!”

Itachi blinked, "...He does?" 

That was news to him. 

Actually, the fact that Sasuke even had a preference for girls' hair length when he barely seemed to tolerate girls in general, was news to his older brother. 

However, the girls quickly started arguing, ignoring his surprise entirely. 

“-I want to know that too! And he’s not going to fall for  _you,_ Sakura, your hair is barely down your back! Mine is longer, and once I give him the perfect present, I’ll be his girlfriend!-”

“-Well, your hair might be long, Kanna, but your  _face_  is still ugly, and  _Sakura’s_ forehead’s still huge! So I’m going to be more his than either of you!-”

“-That’s so dumb, you can’t be more or less ‘someone’s’ because a person isn’t a thing to own; atleast... since slavery stopped,” interrupted a brash blonde girl, walking up to the crowd and rolling her eyes at the lot of them, “And who would want to be with someone shallow enough to fall in love with looks anyways? Looks are something kunoichi should use to manipulate the boys around them, but would you want to be with someone who actually thought looks were important?... Looks only matter when they make you feel good and confident about your own self, to represent the character of the flower you're blooming in-,”

“- _What_ are you even doing here, Ino? Just because you decided that ‘boys have the emotional capacity of stale peanuts’ and claimed that ‘Sasuke already  _has_ someone he likes,’ doesn’t mean you have to sabotage this for the rest of us-”

“Please! Ladies!” cried Itachi, raising his voice a little and putting his hands out to try and get some order among the young girls. They were talking so fast and with such high-pitched voices that he could barely pick out what any of them were saying. “I’ll do my best to help you!”

All the girls became quiet at his declaration. (Well, except for Ino, who walked away mumbling something about ‘understanding what Shikamaru meant when he was talking about Sasuke’s special person having 'an unfairly kind personality.’)

“-So?” one of the girls prompted, “What _does_  Sasuke-kun like?”

Uchiha Itachi paused and thought hard.

And harder still…

...

But as he kept thinking… he could only come to the realization that although Sasuke liked a lot of things, they weren’t exactly the sort of things that one of these girls could very well give him for Valentine’s Day.

For example, Sasuke liked training!

...However, if he told the girls that they should invite Sasuke on a ‘training date,’ it was likely that Sasuke would decline – not wanting to waste his time.

And it wasn’t because the girls were too weak to spar with necessarily; his brother didn’t discriminate with strength level. He loved to spar against stronger opponents (like himself, or even Shisui when their cousin was free) or ‘weaker’ ones (like the ever-unpredictable Naruto, or the rowdy Inuzuka youngster). What mattered to Sasuke was that his partners were just as resolutely driven as him.

Sasuke was naturally talented, but growing up in Itachi’s shadow had given him the opportunity to learn the  _value_  of hard work; and he was inclined to prioritize people's drive and motivation much more their current skill when choosing who he wanted to fight.

It make Itachi proud to think of Sasuke’s maturity and dynamism; having painstakingly driven into him the importance of being exposed to different people, and finding value in people's driving incentives (whether in a fighting context, or not).

However, it also made Itachi realize that even just hearing the words ‘training date’ would anger his otouto with… how superfluous and  _glib_  it sounded.

“Hmmm…” Itachi hmmed, as the girls grew tired of standing and sat down in eager anticipation.

Well... Sasuke also liked talking about, and listening to, stories about the formation of clans! 

The stories did not have to be exclusive to just the Uchiha clan either; Sasuke was also interested in other clans – and even other villages. His brother had become the kind of curious child who often came into Itachi’s room with a bribe of dango and a request to tell him more about the latest village he had traveled to, or a specific clan whom he had met a member of. And although many of the girls here were of clans with interesting origins, he wondered if they knew about those histories, or were interested in hearing about Uchiha history from Sasuke – especially since their clan was stigmatized and demonized; existing on the margins of Konoha…

“Come on, give us anything!” one of the girls called, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yeah! Like his favourite colour!”

“Or his favourite flavour!”

“Or whether he likes milk, dark, or white chocolates more!”

“Or if he’s more of a candy type!”

 _Ah_.

Suddenly, Itachi felt a little like laughing.

It was clear that Itachi had been overthinking this whole giving-advice thing; because really, these girls were only young children ‘attracted’ to his brother because he looked the part of whatever cute shoujo-manga-prince that was currently trending.

They didn’t…  _really_ want to get to know his brother as a person; they just wanted to impress him in a preconceived superficial sense, because… well, their love was superficial too; as sad and judgmental as it made Itachi feel to realize that.

Of course, the young man knew very well that his brother was extremely cute and handsome, and that his looks were enough to gain him favour all on their own (he wasn’t  _blind_  afterall), but Sasuke’s looks were the last thing about him that Itachi paid attention to – if they played any factor at all into his love for him (which they didn’t).

Itachi didn’t show it on his expression or demeanour, but he became saddened.

Did these girls really think that his Sasuke was such an easily swayed person that he would ‘make someone his’ simply because of how nice of a dessert they gave him?

When he didn’t even like desserts?

“Oh, there’s that too…” Itachi mumbled, mostly under his breathe, but all the girls immediately perked up and listened carefully.

“What are you thinking about?” one girl probed.

Itachi sighed.

“Well… I know this may make things hard for you, but Sasuke doesn’t actually  _like_  sweet things all that much…” he said honestly, shrugging his shoulders, “Although, I guess that means for chocolates and candy – the more fruity, bitter, or unsweetened; the better?”

The girls collectively grew disheartened at Itachi’s advice, until one of them quickly perked up.

“Oh... Wow… That’s so manly!” she said, with sparkly eyes.

“Yeah!” joined in another after a beat, “I guess if I like sweet things, then it would make Sasuke-kun girly to like them!”

“That’s good then! We wouldn’t want Sasuke-kun to be girly!”

“Yeah! That would be gay! And he’s not gay!”

The children all rejoiced over their rationale behind Sasuke’s purported heterosexuality and manliness for not liking sugar, as Itachi tried to keep his expression neutral.

Although in fact, he was growing even more annoyed; and not even because their comments inadvertently slighted his ‘masculinity’ as a huge sweets lover; but because they tried to _fit Sasuke’s_ characteristics into some kind of… _box_  of what they were looking for – as opposed to appreciating them, or disliking them as is.

Itachi would have honestly been far more impressed if one of the girls had said something like, ‘Hmm. I like sweet stuff and kind of find it weird that he doesn’t, but I guess if Sasuke-kun doesn’t like sweets; it would be most considerate for us to get him something not sweet so that he can enjoy it,’ instead of justifying it like this.

“Alternatively,” Itachi continued, clearing his throat a little, “Sasuke really likes tomato flavours. Sometimes, if he sees a tomato that’s really ripe, he’ll bite right into it; like an apple or pear. He likes cherry tomatoes too.”

The girls’ expression shifted to one of growing shock at their idol’s increasingly strange tastes. One of them mumbled out that since tomatoes were red, and it was possible to find tomatoes that were shaped like hearts, they’d atleast make for cute enough gifts...

Itachi briefly wondered if he should tell them that even though Sasuke himself was _the_ cutest, he didn’t really care for cute things, so they needn’t concern themselves with 'cuteness' in wanting to get him a good gift. But that might have been a bit too shocking for these girls, so he remained silent.

“And you were asking about favourite colours, right? Hmmm…” Itachi mused aloud; honestly not really recalling Sasuke talking about something as trivial as a favourite colour… Or anything about colours.

Well, except for that one time…

* * *

 _“Neon colours make my eyes hurt…” Sasuke had said, blinking watery eyes against the bright flashing fireworks of last year's New Years Eve; an_ _d Itachi had been sympathetic since the same was true for both him and Shisui. Much of the folklore surrounding the Uchiha clan suggested that having eyes sensitive to bright colours and other processed stimulants was a sign that one would come to possess an unprecedentedly strong or rare Sharingan._

* * *

Sasuke was so talented and had so much potential...

But would any of these girls appreciate that?

~~How laughable.~~

Itachi smiled sweetly. 

“He likes bright colours,” the teen lied smoothly, snapping his fingers as if to emphasis his point. And at his words, the girls lit up from within, as though they were neon lights themselves.

“Yes! Bright colors are best!" a girl with bright red hair in twintails said, and the others rejoiced.

Itachi just kept smiling.

He felt that he had been... helpful with the young girls thus far, so he forgave himself for this instance of uncharacteristic… cruelty?

~~Or possessiveness. Because really… if anything, through this interaction Itachi had realized that none of these girls were worthy of his younger brother. Which was fine, since Sasuke was _his_.~~

“Wow! Thanks so much Itachi-san! You’re so cool, but more approachable than Sasuke-kun!” the girls chorused.

Itachi laughed genuinely in response, “Am I?”

They giggled back in agreement before retreating and waving good-bye, blushing and 'kya!'ing as Itachi shot them a serene smile goodbye.

...

 _Well_.

They wouldn’t be the first to suggest that for all of Itachi’s prodigious prowess, the older brother was definitely the more approachable Uchiha son.

Or so it seemed.

Afterall, Itachi genuinely believed in being nice and helpful, and had no haughtiness regarding his strength. If anything, people’s biggest complaint of him was that he made them feel existentially lost with his talk of big pictures; or that he was spacey and strangely unconcerned with the trivialities and gossip that others loved to indulge in.

Compared to Sasuke, who wasn’t quite sure about how to toe the line between self-confidence and humility, and was more honest and upfront about what he liked and disliked; Itachi particularly came across as calmer and more… palatable.

However, as Itachi headed back home and saw one of the girls who had just approached him picking out a highlighter-green ribbon from a nearby stationary story, he couldn’t help but wonder if… atleast some part of that also stemmed from the fact that Itachi was just... A better liar and actor.

Sasuke was pure, genuine, and honest; and though people were attracted to him knowing that, most people couldn’t handle his brother at all because he didn’t fit into any of their easily controllable boxes.

Sasuke was just himself.

People’s inability to place his little brother into an archetype, and Sasuke’s own inability to lie and mold himself into what others wanted him to be may have been disappointing for some.

But it suited Itachi perfectly.

Sasuke was real and authentic, and one of the few people with any semblance of genuinity left in him. It made Itachi want to protect him and take him away from this society so he could continue to be the marvelous boy he was; before he _too_ learned how to wear a mask and be what people wanted him to be, and give them that which they wanted from him.

Like Itachi did. 

The older boy had learned how to fool others by acting in a way that suited the archetype that others assigned him; and he saw how other people were eager to ‘play their parts’ too. Whether that was girls looking for their perfect boyfriend, or his parents trying to be sternly stoic Uchihas forcing Sasuke into following Itachi’s footsteps (the ones that Itachi had been forced to walk through first), or the Konoha elders trying to maintain the illusion of peaceful guidance when they were really bloodthirsty dictators without a single ethic to share between them, or whatever other shallow scripts of behaviour that people subscribed to and forced him to subscribe to as well.

How frustrating. 

But Itachi was unique in his understanding of Sasuke because he met his younger brother where he was – instead of forcing him to be some version of what Itachi wanted him to be; he didn't want anything from Sasuke other than what he was.

Itachi loved Sasuke as  _Sasuke_.

And… wasn’t that what it meant to truly love someone?

He sure thought so. 

And maybe he wasn't the only one. 

...

 _God_.

Athough it scared Itachi to no end, Sasuke, similarly, was never quite fooled by Itachi’s ‘immaculate’ conformance to other’s standards these days. He was starting to understand that the _real_ Itachi was not the one that bowed down to their father and spoke in low monotones, but something else.

In no small part because of the fact that the only reason Itachi ever ‘broke character’... was _Sasuke_.

Afterall, his younger brother had seen how Itachi _wasn’t actually_ the perfect Uchiha spy in the ANBU that he acted like; he had seen how... Itachi would gladly throw away the ANBU missions that Tou-san forced him to go on to infiltrate Konoha, in favour of doing something as simple as watching Sasuke's matriculation ceremony, supporting him so he was always happy and comfortable.

* * *

_He remembered the night after his confrontation with their father, when he had suggested that he'd go to the academy in his stead if he kept refusing._

_Sasuke had snuck into his room and quietly laid with him in his futon;_

_“Why?” the petit boy had asked, “It… probably wouldn’t have been a big deal if Tou-san didn’t come to the academy. I mean, there's mom... And some of the kids are... even orphans.”_

_"_ _That’s true…" Itachi had sighed low in his throat._

_"And doesn’t it make you sad to imagine their pain of not even having someone to ask to watch them start their ninja journey; whether or not their parents had said yes or no?” he asked right back, confusing Sasuke by answering his question with another question._

_“You’re right…? That does sound awful…” Sasuke’s brow had cutely furrowed; not sure why or how Itachi had steered the conversation into this territory, away from his original inquiry, and how he was supposed to direct it back._

_So sweetly innocent._

_“Sorry, that was a tangential thought,” Itachi had admitted, as Sasuke pouted, embarrassed at being unceremoniously led astray by his brother’s big words for the umpteenth time, “But the reason why I said I would go is because I want you to always be happy and feel loved. That’s my number one priority. I was hoping that Tou-san would relent because I’d definitely attract some weird attention if there were… well, a sea of parents in the audience, and then, me – your twelve year old brother; but if he hadn’t relented, I really would have ditched the mission and come, you know?”_

_“Don’t say, ‘you know’ because I don’t know!” Sasuke retorted, even more confused than before, “You’ve got to go to elite missions… and be a perfect ninja! That’s what is the number one priority, right? Bringing honour to the Uchiha clan, and… protecting Konoha? So… So what about that stupid ceremony! I-I’m not going to be there long anyways; I’m gonna graduate early like you did! So the mission’s more important, right? Don't lie! Tell me the real reason you said that to dad! It's... It's something... About Konoha or our clan, right?”_

_Poor Sasuke._

_Teetering on the edge of realizing something that threatened the foundations of what he thought he knew about Itachi; and indeed, their entire lives. Itachi had briefly wondered if it would have been kinder to just say yes, and end the conversation there…_

_To lie and say that there was something else that had caused Itachi to do something as drastic as... Disobey their father, the clan, the village... or to tell the truth about exactly what kind of person he was._

_Because Itachi wasn’t a 'perfect' person; like the person that he pretended to be, that their father had tried to will into existence, that Konoha believed would do whatever they asked._

_That person didn’t exist._

_And Itachi wanted Sasuke to love the **real** him; even just half as much as Itachi loved Sasuke… _ _He was so tired of pushing him away for so long, when all he wanted was to pull him close… let him in... share everything with him - ~~love him.~~_

_“Otouto, of course those things are important,” he started, reassuring Sasuke, running his fingers through his brother's soft dark hair, “That’s why we risk our lives to be as strong as possible...”_

_Sasuke nodded but he still looked worried; like he knew that something disorienting was still coming._

_“But that’s only my number two priority… **You’re** my number one, Sasuke; even if... I can’t say it aloud in front of others...”_

_“_   **I’m**   _your… number one priority? Me? ...Not Konoha? Or the Uchiha clan?” Sasuke whispered._

_“Sorry, Sasuke, but it’s true. I am Itachi of the Leaf, and Itachi of the Uchiha, but more than that… I’m your Itachi nii-san, who loves his brother, Sasuke... I can’t be the perfect Uchiha, or the perfect ANBU soldier, because I can only be anywhere near perfect at one thing - and that’s loving you. Every other version of me pales in comparison to the truth of how… I will always love you.”_

_Sasuke gulped hard, as tears of incomprehensible emotion welled up in his big dark eyes. He hurriedly surged forward and buried his face in Itachi’s chest to hide his vulnerable expression; no doubt already having internalized what their father preached about practicing ‘stoic unreadability.’_

_Itachi firmly grasped his brother’s shoulders, pulling him away from his body so his flushed face was visible for him to gently blow upon._

_“Wait! What do you mean I’m your priority? I’m not a mission you can complete! And loving me won’t bring the clan, or the village any honour! What’s even so good about me?”_

_Itachi sighed and brought his hand up to flick Sasuke’s forehead, but thought better of it and tilted down to press his lips to his brother’s soft skin instead._

_“I’m sorry, Sasuke, but it’s true… Even if you may think it’s selfish, and not beneficial to the village or clan, what I want most in this world is for you to be safe and happy and… yourself. I only want to be strong enough that… nobody would think to hurt you or I, so we never even need to fight; so we could just spend all our time having fun together… Being with each other all day long.”_

_Sasuke’s face flushed even harder, and he immediately ducked down to cover his flush in his hands, too embarrassed to be seen._

_He had had his suspicions about Itachi’s true loyalties, but to hear him put it like that? And that too… with a kiss? It was true that Sasuke craved more from his brother than his usual forehead-flick, and tried so hard to be worthy of his attention, but to just receive so much from Itachi, out of nowhere, when he wasn’t even doing anything?_

_It didn’t make sense with anything else!_

_“You don’t have to think so hard, Sasuke,” Itachi had started gently, pulling his hands away from his pink face once more, “Just take it as me saying that you don’t ever have to try to prove yourself to me, or anyone… You’re already perfection; and the only thing that’s ever on my mind.”_

* * *

With his hands in his pockets, Itachi made his way to the dock by the nearby lake, letting out an enormous sigh.. 

Even though he hadn't felt like one in a long time, he was... really only just a kid too - not  _that_ much older than the young girls who had asked him about 'impressing Sasuke.'

But Itachi had never been afforded their luxury of childhood fancy and innocence. 

Just... when did his life get so complicated?

And what was he supposed to do now? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to leave a kudos, comment, subscription and/or bookmark if you enjoyed this work and would like to support me! I really appreciate it more than I can say. ♡

**Author's Note:**

> I had a few complaints that the short chapters made this story hard to read in the downloaded version so I condensed them all into one chapter (after I kept records of all of your lovely comments on previous chapters of course)!
> 
> I will be releasing a part two to this story in due time so please watch out for that as well.
> 
> Please consider leaving me your kudos, comments, and bookmarks below ~ They encourage me immensely and I appreciate them so much!
> 
> Take care.  
> -K.M.


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